Sierra County advocate. [volume] (Kingston, N.M.) 1884-1960, 1887-07-01
CAPE COD FISHERIES.
How n rcat Industry Originated and
Developed-l,ig Proflt Is in Bait sales.

| HOW cfeat lhuuSt OfISiuattu anu
Developed-BigP Profits in Bait sales.
Provincetown correspondent of The Bos
ton Globe writes: The first fish weir built II
Cape Cod waters of which there is record was
put down In the year 1854, at Monomoy piont
Chatham at a cost of $500, and the frs,
year about $4,000 worth Of fish were takeE
The first traps were very crude affairs, some
being made of brush ntcrlaced with latb, ane
some of light poles hung with nets. Later or
others were built at different points through
Vineyard sound and In Buzzard's bay.
About twenty years ago a similar expert.
ment was tried at Pamet harbor, Truro. II
was built Of poles and laths, but proved fail
ure and was abandoned after one seasons
trial. Nothing more was done in this vicinity
at the wear business until the year 1880, when
trap which had been In use during the sum.
mer in the Bay Chaleur was taken up, brought
to North Truro, and put down for short time
in the fall The venture proved a success, and
from this has sprung the present wear bus
iness of Cape Cod
| The poles of this trap were fastened with
large rocks and kept upright by this means.
The poles were hung with netting, instead oi
being interlaced with laths. From this time
onward, for four or five years. the growth OF
this business was very rapid until now eigh-
| teen aeep-water wears may be counted from
Wood end light along the inside shore of the
| cape to the boundry line between Truro and
Wellfeet besides number of shoal water
wears. Others are In use at Brewster, Dennis,
Sandwich, at various points around Boston
harbor, and along the north shore The traps
are built in the shape of an arrow, with bell
point The fact that fish when pursued OF
frightened almost invariably turn of shore for
safety in deep water is taken advantage of in
constructing the traps, the off ends of which
are In about forty feet Of water. The poles
are driven some distance apart in a straight
line for about fifteen hundred feet from the
shore, which is called ''tbe leader" At the
ends of this the poles are driven IN the shape
of heart, with the point off shore, and an ep-
trance on either side where 1t joins The
leader.
About 1870 poles, either oak or hickory, and
from twenty to sixty feet long, ere used in the
construction of each trap These poles, which
come mostly from Connecticut, cost from 81
to 81 when ready for use, and last about two
years. About 9, 100 square feet of netting is
u9'u ioi e"N" ti"p' "h'Nh % UHOlpukNy So"'
co Win tar before peihS used Each trap Is
also provided Win an extra set Oh nets "nlcp
are changed once month.
Inc nsh "heh swimming along Win tne uoe
strike the ieauet'" and' naturally turning
onshore lor salety, ioloW tne leader un'iI
they hhu themselves insiue lhe heart, from
"nich they seloom escape as tney seek ueeper
water instead of trying to get out the way
tney got in' AZ tne point OF tne heart the
Polee are uiNen ~ Tue ior'i VI Icie' "nich
Is conuecleu WIN tue heart anu caiiea tine
oo"i' "hich mas het oot.oui Us "eli as 81
uer' For ease III lahuhng tne nsh are urlVeh
iron-the heaft !hto iie poWi, the nc' Dot'ou
ana Ihe slues Oh "hien are ura"n eiose TO-
gelher ana the nsh paiieu INTO the ooats oy
shlai uip hets'
VI the pfouucIs OF the WEARS the naekereI
ana the pait hsh are the principal dependence
OF the hsherIneh lor proht' Inc oalt, Which
lncudes herrln%' aieWlFes' squla' ana some
smal ihacNerel' Is solu 70 tne cape You anu
cape Ann vessels IN tie ueofges anu snore-
nshing neets' at prices ranging from Sl 10 %
per oAffei ACCORDING 10 supply IL Is caff4eu
TO the hshlhg-stouhds packed IN ice some OF
the large hacherel are saiteu' "nnc most oi
the other SIZES slSo cou ana oIner market
hsh, are packed IN Ice ana shlppeu lresn 10 the
commission dealers OF Boston, New York,
and Philadelphia.
Almost every kind of fish known in northern